King of the Gold Coast

Chicago's breathtaking Lake Shore Drive may seem like it stepped straight from the dreams of a postcard manufacturer, but its origins lie tangled in neglected marshland and extravagant legal dispute. Meet George Wellington Streeter, the outlandish swindler, unlikely hero and self-proclaimed founder of the Gold Coast who tried to secede from the State of Illinois. Opposing him was the quiet vision of Potter Palmer and the full weight of his investment syndicate. With this keen piece of investigative history, Wayne Klatt uncovers the secrets that both sides of the conflict had managed to keep in spite of lawsuits, state inquiries, a Presidential forgery and two murder trials.